Michigan State Spartans vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Prediction, 1/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

Date: Friday, January 2, 2026

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE

TV: Peacock

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-0) will try to defeat the Michigan State Spartans (11-1) at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday.

The Michigan State Spartans faced Oakland and walked away with a win by a score of 79-70 in their last game. Michigan State finished having earned a 45.9% FG percentage (28 out of 61) and buried 6 of their 22 3-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Spartans converted 17 of 23 shots for a rate of 73.9%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they earned 40 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 assists for the game as well as creating 12 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In the matter of defense, Michigan State allowed the other team to shoot 42.9% from the field on 24 out of 56 shooting. Oakland doled out 15 assists and had 8 steals in the game. Furthermore, Oakland collected 19 rebounds (3 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Oakland ended up going 92.3% at the free throw line by converting 12 of their 13 shots. They also buried 10 out of their 22 tries from 3-point land. When it comes to fouls, the Spartans ended up finishing with 16 and Oakland accounted for 21 fouls.

Coen Carr is one player who was a contributor in the game. He ended up shooting 61.5% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. He played for 26 minutes played and also snagged 7 boards. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 8 out of 13 shooting.

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Michigan State heads into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 11-1 so far this season. They currently have an average of 78.0 pts per game (179th in college) while hitting 46.1% from the field. The Spartans are connecting on 35.7% on three-point shots (87 of 244) and 74.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Michigan State is grabbing 42.7 boards per game and has tallied 232 dimes for the year, which is 37th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.2 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Spartans are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and they draw 18.5 fouls. They give up 30.5% on 3-point shots while they are 15th in college hoops in points per game allowed (63.3). The Spartans defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 38.7% (261 of 675) and they relinquish 28.8 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 59th in D-1 in giving up assists with 143 relinquished for the year.

In their last game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers walked away with a victory by a final of 78-55 when they faced North Dakota. In reference to how they rebounded, Nebraska permitted North Dakota to pull down 30 overall (6 offensive). They wrapped up this game 34.5% from beyond the perimeter by going 10 of 29 and ended up shooting 7 out of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Cornhuskers allowed North Dakota to make 19 of their 57 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 33.3% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Cornhuskers ended up going 28 for 62 from the floor which had them at 45.2%. In reference to shooting from downtown, Nebraska buried 6 of 27 tries (22.2%). They were able to knock down 16 of the free throws for a clip of 84.2%. North Dakota had 20 personal fouls for the contest which got the Cornhuskers to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They turned it over 6 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. The Cornhuskers were able to corral 30 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 41 for the game.

Braden Frager ended up being a major contributor for the Cornhuskers in this contest. He earned 17 points in his 27 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist for this game. He converted 5 out of 8 in the game giving him a rate of 62.5%, and had 4 rebounds.

Nebraska has a record of 12-0 on the campaign. The Cornhuskers are committing 14.0 personal fouls per game while shooting 74.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 19.1 times per contest (17th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.5 times per game. Nebraska has totaled 1,000 pts on the season (83.3 per contest) and they average 37.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cornhuskers are connecting on 48.2% from the floor, which ranks them 72nd in D-1.

The Cornhuskers on the defensive end are ranked 59th in Division 1 in points given up per game with 67.2. They have forced 12.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.0% from the field (16th in college). The Nebraska defense allows 30.1% on 3-pointers (116 of 385) and their opponents are connecting on 73.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.8 assists and 35.6 rebounds per contest, ranking them 214th and 242nd in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Michigan State

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